Does a season of thanksgiving feel out of place in your church? Here are a few suggestions for fostering a grateful church all year round.
By Mike Leake
“Dad, you’re one of the most incredible people I know. I’m just so grateful you’re my dad. You’re always there for me, and you don’t yell at me when I ask for things, and you’re just … well … terrific, Dad.”
“Alright,” says the dad, slightly annoyed, “what do you want?”
Dad responds this way because the son only talks like that when he wants something. The thanksgiving feels forced and foreign. Now contrast this with a son who frequently expresses his gratitude and appreciation for his father. In this case, the father’s response will be far more receptive—here, thanksgiving hits the mark.
It’s November, which means it’s the season of giving thanks. Do you ever wonder if our few days of coerced thanksgiving sound to God a bit like that sweet-talking kid? Does a season of thanksgiving feel out of place in your local church? If it does, and you’d like to change that, here are a few suggestions for fostering a grateful church all year round.
1. Set apart time in your weekly service for testimonies of gratitude
Our church has a dedicated time each week for prayer and gratitude. During the prayer time, we encourage anyone who needs prayer to stand, and we gather around them and pray. For the time of gratitude, we try to schedule people to share a brief testimony of something God is doing in our midst. This helps people look for these things in their own lives throughout the week.
We’ve also dedicated entire services (usually midweek or special dates) for sharing testimonies. While it’s always wise to attempt some structure to these services, it’s also good to be open to the natural flow of praise. Typically, once we get started it’s hard to finish. There truly are “10,000 reasons for our hearts to sing.”
2. Make public praise a habit
For some reason we get a little shy about publicly praising people. Perhaps we’re afraid praising one person might offend someone else, or maybe we worry receiving praise could become a stumbling block of pride. While these concerns are worth considering, they don’t outweigh the benefit of publicly honoring others.
It’s true people will reproduce what’s publicly praised, but our purpose is different. When we publicly thank God for other people, we foster a culture of gratitude. Consider all the times Paul shared his thanksgiving for what God was doing in local churches. We should do likewise.
“When we publicly thank God for other people, we foster a culture of gratitude.” — @mikeleake Share on X3. Use social media prompts
A few years ago, during a difficult season of ministry, I went to a counselor who proved to be helpful. Things were so bleak I could only see the darker side of life. One thing my counselor did was suggest I write out 100 things I was grateful for. It seemed hokey, but I gave it a shot. Surprisingly, once I started, my list grew well beyond 100, and my perspective had shifted. Social media can be a similarly dark place. What if we tried to change that experience?
This Thanksgiving season, our church has started something I believe will carry on throughout the year. On Thursday mornings, we share a graphic with a prompt to praise. We ask simple questions like
“What are you thankful for today?” or “Where have you seen God working in your life?” We hope to flood social media with gratitude instead of negativity.
4. Preach on it, model it, and pray it
If you’re a grateful pastor, there’s a good chance the congregation will also be grateful. That’s because pastors have an opportunity to not only preach about gratitude but also model it. This doesn’t mean faking it or using trite Christian phrases. Rather, it’s a chance to show genuine appreciation for others and express thankfulness to God, even in challenging times.
We can also teach our people how to pray with gratitude through our public prayers. Using a simple formula like the ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) can remind them of the importance of weaving adoration and thanksgiving into their prayer lives.
5. Encourage the use of gratitude journals
Does it ever feel like God doesn’t answer your prayers? There was a particular season in our family when we were all feeling a little discouraged as if God wasn’t as active in our lives. We decided to pray and keep a journal of our prayer requests. For a season, it seemed more discouraging than helpful. I think we were expecting much faster answers.
I came across one of these prayer journals the other day. One of our kids had prayed God would give us a dog that loved belly scratches. Pretty specific, eh? I had forgotten about this prayer, but as I read through this rediscovered journal, I looked over at our dog, Gus. Gus loves belly scratches. My faith in God’s goodness was strengthened. Gratitude journals consistently help strengthen our faith in this way, keeping a record of things we’re apt to forget.
6. Report on the good things
A few months ago, I decided to dedicate 15 minutes per day to scrolling on social media looking for praiseworthy things so I could encourage people. There are plenty of bad things out there, but there are also many good things. God is still at work in our world, and we should lead in shining a spotlight on all the places we see God’s fingerprints.
Consider dedicating a slice of your church’s social media to reposting and highlighting positive things within your community. We can foster a culture of gratitude by reminding people of all the good things God is doing.
“We can foster a culture of gratitude by reminding people of all the good things God is doing.” — @mikeleake Share on X7. Give space for lament
It may seem strange to speak of lament in an article on gratefulness, but the two go hand in hand. Lament is the God-given way for us to express our burdens. If we do not use this expression, then the ache of our heart will spill into other things. Lament unburdens our hearts.
When we give space for lament, we’re also making room for gratitude. The psalms remind us lament and praise are partners. Just as the psalms of lament lead to praise, a church that knows how to lament will also know how to cultivate an authentic, enduring gratitude—one that finds joy even in life’s shadows.
Inviting the church to practice lament is a way to acknowledge that gratitude is not forced or manufactured but arises authentically. As we sit with God in lament, we open the path to one more way in which we experience His healing.
For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.
Mike Leake
Mike is the pastor of Calvary of Neosho in Neosho, Missouri. His new writing project is Proverbs for Today, a daily devotional.
